THE unique beauty of coconut trees is its long slender trunk and the graceful crown that sways in the gentle breeze. However, the uniqueness does not stop there as the rich flavour and the creamy santan made from the flesh of the nut and the long thin waxy coconut leaves have caught the imagination of cooks in the preparation of many of our local traditional cuisines.
Unique heritage
Young coconut leaves add an interesting feature to foods prepared for the festivals. In the month of Ramadan, family members gather around weaving ketupat casings using young coconut leaves.
This skilful art of making ketupat, which is the unique culture and heritage of the Malay, has impressed many cooks from other cultures.
Plants provide food and the leaves of plants often double as wrappers for food traditionally. The flavour and characteristics of the leaves enhance the presentation of the food served. All these features are found in ketupats.
The ketupat casing needs no string to tie to prevent the fillings from spilling out while cooking. Only one or two young leaves are used to weave a delicate casing into which rice grains are stuffed for cooking. The loose ends of the casings are knotted together and made into “packages” for easy handling.
These “rice packages” come in different shapes and sizes . The common ketupat takes the shape of a square box which is easier to make whereas cone-shaped ketupat jantung needs some special twists and turns .
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| Ketupat palas is made from the leaves of the palas palm.The ketupat palas casing is even more difficult to weave. When opening up the triangular casing you will find only a long thin strip of leave. |
Other than coconut leaves ketupat palas is made from the leaves of the palas palm (Licuala acutifida) which has an obscure and unique common name, the “Penang lawyer”. The leaves have bands of green and yellow streaks that make the appearance of the casing pleasing.
The ketupat palas casing is even more difficult to weave. When opening up the triangular casing you will find only a long thin strip of leave.
Ketupats are filled with either glutinous or ordinary rice with or without coconut milk. They are cooked in water till the rice grains are soft.
In traditional methods, it can take as long as three to four hours to cook.
Cut open the cooked ketupats with a knife, peel off the casing and the finger-licking good and fragrant ketupat is ready to be eaten.
Ketupat and rendang are the traditional welcome dishes prepared in every family during Hari Raya Adilfitri.
Moderation is the key
In recent years, red meat such as beef has been linked to an increase in risk of heart disease and cancer.
Beef rendang contains both saturated fats and cholesterol. The fat in 50g of rendang is more than that in two eggs. It supplies 127kcal, while a cup of rice has 167kcal and a thin slice of white bread has 48kcal.
However, a small portion of lean beef supplies nutrients that are required to maintain good health.
Beef is a good source of protein and vitamins especially vitamins B6 and B12. These vitamins are important nutrients to prevent osteoporosis.
The other nutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium and zinc are minerals that have roles of their own for improvement of immune system and various bodily functions.
One of the ingredients that contributes to the good taste in rendang is santan, without which rendang would taste just as any other beef dish. Amino acids predominant in santan are similar to that in beef. They are leucine, arginine, aspartic and glutamic acids.
The leucine is required in energy and blood-sugar regulations as well as growth and repair of muscle tissue. Arginine stimulates growth hormones and the immune system.
Our body can produce aspartic acid but a lack of aspartic acid makes us feel fatigued and depressed. Glutamic acid imparts taste to food and aids in various brain functions including transport of potassium to the brain.
Santan contains phytosterols and has no cholesterol. A quarter of the fat in santan is saturated fat, which is unhealthy especially to our heart.
Then again, santan has high lauric and capric acids, which have antimicrobial and antiviral properties.
Coconut trees (Cocos nucifera) are grown commercially for their oil and the kernel cake for animal feed production. It is commonly grown in home compounds in the kampung for use in home cooking.
Santan or coconut milk is extracted from the coconut flesh or endosperm. The lingering flavour of santan reminds us of the delicious rendang.
